Wellness as a Way of Living, Not a Project

Wellness often gets treated like a project, something to schedule, track, and optimize. But for most residents, the sense of feeling well comes less from a structured program and more from the shape of an ordinary day. It’s the walk to get coffee instead of the drive, the light that fills a room in the morning, the ease of stepping outside without a second thought. These small, repeated choices add up to something that feels less like a wellness plan and more like a way of living.

A Home Designed for Movement and Light

A home designed with movement and daylight in mind makes this kind of wellbeing available by default. Wide windows and open sightlines bring in natural light throughout the day, which supports mood and energy without any effort required. Proximity to walking paths, courtyards, or a nearby park means the choice to move is simply closer at hand, so it happens more naturally and more often. None of this asks a resident to commit to a class schedule or set a goal. It simply makes it easier to act on wanting to feel better.

Wellness Woven Into Daily Circulation

The building itself plays a role here too. When a fitness space, a place to stretch, or a spot to sit outside with a coffee are all part of daily circulation rather than a separate destination, they get used differently. A resident might not plan to stop by the gym, but if it’s on the way to the mailroom, they might anyway. Wellness becomes less of an appointment and more a part of the rhythm of an ordinary day.

The Wellness That Lasts

This is the version of wellness that tends to last. Not a routine that requires ongoing motivation, but ordinary habits that continue because the environment supports them. A home that supports this kind of everyday wellbeing gives residents a steady sense of feeling good that’s built into how the day unfolds.

Explore our communities to see how everyday life at Optima supports wellbeing without a plan.

A rooftop sky deck changes character over the course of a day. Morning brings quiet laps and coffee in the sun. Afternoon fills the pool deck with residents and their guests. By evening, the pool empties out, the pool lighting gives way to the glow of the fire pits, and the rooftop sky deck becomes a different kind of space: a place to cook dinner, sit outside with neighbors, and watch the city or the mountains from the top of the building as the smell of something on the grill starts to drift across the deck.

Outdoor Kitchens Built for Real Cooking

Most Optima communities have an outdoor kitchen on the rooftop sky deck. Optima Lakeview pairs its BBQs and outdoor kitchens with a rooftop theater, so dinner and a movie can happen back to back without leaving the sky deck. Optima Verdana sets its outdoor dining area a few steps from the fire pit lounges, on the same rooftop sky deck as the heated, glass-enclosed lap pool. In Scottsdale, Optima Sonoran Village runs a full outdoor kitchen with a BBQ on Tower 15’s rooftop sky deck, while Optima Kierland Apartments gives each of its three towers, 7140, 7160, and 7190, its own open-air kitchen and dining space, exclusive to that tower’s residents. At Optima McDowell Mountain, the rooftop sky deck adds grilling stations and an outdoor bar with counter seating, for residents who want to eat where the food is cooked and watch the mountains change color as the sun sets.  Optima Signature‘s 7th and 8th floor terrace includes grills alongside its fire pits and lounge seating, open to the wider building, while Club 52, a private amenity level on the 52nd floor for residents in the building’s Apex collection, adds its own alfresco kitchen and wine lockers.

Fire Pits That Keep the Deck Open After Dark

Fire pits are what let a rooftop sky deck stay in use once the sun sets and the temperature drops, and every community keeps them close to the lounge seating rather than off to the side. At Optima Signature, fire pits are spread throughout the 7th and 8th floor terrace, each with its own seating, so there is rarely just one gathering point. Optima Lakeview positions its fire pits right off the pool and spa, close enough that a swim can turn into a seat by the fire in a few steps. Optima Verdana groups its fire pit lounges with the garden lounge and outdoor dining area, wrapped in the same vertical landscaping that runs down the face of the building. Optima Sonoran Village spreads fire pits across both outdoor pool areas and Tower 15’s rooftop sky deck, while Optima Kierland places intimate fire pits with plush seating at each tower’s rooftop sky deck, framed by views that stretch out over the city as the light fades. At Optima McDowell Mountain, fire pits and lounge areas sit near the outdoor entertainment area on the rooftop sky deck, so a game on the outdoor TVs, a conversation, and the fire all happen in the same area.

What the Evening Looks Like

The shift from day to evening on the rooftop sky deck is really a shift in who is using it and for what. The lap swimmers and sunbathers give way to residents cooking dinner, neighbors catching up over a drink, or a small group settled around a fire pit with the skyline, the lake, or the mountains fading into silhouette behind them. It does not take leaving the building or planning ahead. The kitchen, the fire pit, and the view are already there, waiting for whichever way the evening goes.

Explore our communities to see what evenings on the sky deck look like in person.

A resident perks program works best when the perks are ones people actually use. That’s the idea behind Optima Connect, a benefits program available to residents at Optima Signature, Optima Lakeview, Optima Sonoran Village, Optima Kierland Apartments, Optima Verdana, and Optima McDowell Mountain that pairs residents with discounts and offers at businesses near where they live.

How it works

Residents access Optima Connect through their community’s mobile app, where the current list of partners and offers is available alongside other resident services. Categories span dining, wellness, retail, and entertainment, with specific offers varying by community based on which local businesses have partnered with that property.

A partnership in both directions

Optima Connect is structured as a two-way relationship. Residents get access to savings at places they might already walk to, and the partner businesses get introduced to a built-in base of nearby customers. Communities also use these partnerships to host resident events, such as cooking or mixology classes, that put residents and local business owners in the same room. The result is less a list of offers and more a working relationship between each Optima community and the neighborhood around it.

Paired with Optimized Service

Optima Connect runs alongside Optimized Service, Optima’s concierge program designed to make daily life easier for residents. Optimized Service supports convenience within the community through services such as package acceptance, dry-cleaning drop-off and delivery, oversized box removal after move-ins, and seasonal offerings like Christmas tree disposal assistance. During the holiday season, residents receive tree disposal bags and can schedule tree removal through the team.

While Optimized Service focuses on helping residents manage everyday needs within the community, Optima Connect extends that support into the surrounding neighborhood. Together, the two programs create a seamless resident experience that reflects Optima’s commitment to convenience, service, and lifestyle.

Explore our communities to see how Optima Connect works at a specific community.

Not every workout needs music playing through a speaker system or a row of machines humming nearby. Across Optima’s communities, yoga studios and dedicated Pilates spaces give residents a quieter corner of the fitness center, one built around breath, alignment, and control.

Room to Move Slowly

At Optima Signature in Streeterville, wellness is seamlessly integrated into daily life. The fitness center features a dedicated yoga studio next to the main workout space, offering complimentary classes, including weekly Pilates. Located on the community’s wellness floor, the studio is conveniently connected to amenities like the sauna and steam room. Residents can also enjoy reformer Pilates through on-site partner Reform Studios, with access to both guided and self-guided classes.

Optima Lakeview complements its cardio and strength areas with a dedicated yoga and stretching studio. Complimentary weekly fitness programming uses both spaces, giving residents access to scheduled classes as well as open studio time.

In the North Shore, Optima Verdana in Wilmette gives residents a dedicated yoga room off the main fitness floor, with MAT Pilates offered as part of its regular class schedule. The room doubles as a stretching space for residents working through a personal training session or winding down after a workout.

Scottsdale’s Expanded Wellness Spaces

In Scottsdale, several communities integrate yoga and Pilates spaces into both rooftop and ground-floor amenity areas. Optima Sonoran Village features a multi-purpose yoga studio and a stretch studio within its 19,000-square-foot residents’ club, with the ability to book an instructor for sessions.

At Optima Kierland Apartments, the 7140 tower features a rooftop yoga studio on the rooftop sky deck beside the running track and pool, with views of the McDowell Mountains. The 7160 tower offers a yoga room off the residents’ club near the massage room and Zen garden, while the 7190 tower includes a yoga studio with a separate Pilates room, giving residents two distinct spaces on the fitness floor.

At Optima McDowell Mountain, residents have access to indoor and outdoor yoga studios on the rooftop sky deck, allowing classes to move outside on clear mornings. The community also includes indoor and outdoor yoga studios on the ground floor, with a separate Pilates studio built into the ground-floor fitness center alongside the group fitness area.

Why the Separation Matters

Keeping yoga and Pilates in their own rooms, rather than folding them into the general workout floor, means the space stays set up for that practice, so a resident can walk in mid-morning without waiting for a class to clear out. The pace of the room ends up matching the pace of the practice, since someone adjusting a reformer spring isn’t working around someone else finishing a set of squats a few feet away. It’s a small design choice that adds up over time, whether someone is easing into a Monday with a slow flow or working through a Pilates routine before dinner.

Explore our communities to experience the full range of fitness and recovery spaces.

Apartment living comes with its share of small daily tasks, but at Optima we have built a program designed to take many of them off residents’ plates entirely. Optimized Service is Optima’s complimentary in-home concierge program, offered across all our residential communities as part of a broader commitment to hospitality-driven living.

Package Delivery Inside the Home

One of the most valued pieces of the program is in-home package delivery. Rather than leaving parcels in a lobby or mailroom, Optima’s on-site teams deliver packages directly inside a resident’s home within 24 hours of arrival at the building. For residents managing busy schedules, this removes one of the more common friction points of apartment living and ensures deliveries are handled securely and promptly.

Dry Cleaning Pickup and Delivery

Optimized Service also includes dry cleaning pickup and delivery directly from the resident’s closet. Clothing is sent out for cleaning and returned neatly put away, eliminating trips to the dry cleaner or the need to work around store hours.

Everyday Conveniences

Beyond deliveries and dry cleaning, the program extends to smaller daily conveniences that add up over time. In-home plant watering keeps greenery healthy during travel or long workweeks, and thermostat adjustments help residents come home to a space that’s already comfortable. These services are handled by Optima’s own on-site teams, working seven days a week.

Virtual Concierge

Optimized Service is paired with a virtual concierge that residents can reach by phone, email, or text. This service handles the kind of requests that used to mean a trip to a front desk or a string of phone calls: booking reservations, scheduling appointments, and coordinating travel. Together with the in-home services, it rounds out a concierge experience built around convenience rather than errands.

For residents, the result is a living experience where the routine tasks of daily life take up less time, handled by people who are already part of the building.

Discover our communities and learn how Optimized Service makes everyday living easier.

Getting moving in the morning should feel easy, not like something to plan around. At several Optima communities, that means stepping onto a quarter-mile track that wraps the rooftop deck, right above the pool and lounge areas. At others, it means a track built into a lower terrace, or a lakefront path and walkable neighborhood just outside the front door. The specific setup changes from property to property, but the result is the same everywhere: residents can get outside and get moving without much standing between the decision and the first step.

The Rooftop Track

At Optima Kierland and Optima McDowell Mountain, a quarter-mile track follows the edge of the rooftop deck, with open views of the McDowell Mountains, the surrounding golf courses, and the Scottsdale skyline. Four laps make a mile, an easy number to track without an app or a watch, and the view changes with each pass, whether the run happens early before the desert heat sets in or later once the sun starts to drop. Lounge seating and fire pits line the deck, so a run can turn into a longer morning outside without much extra effort. Optima Signature takes a different approach: the building’s 8th floor outdoor terrace includes a 40-yard dash, a straightaway built for a quick sprint rather than a distance loop, part of 1.5 acres of amenity space that also includes a fitness center, fire pits, cabanas, and an outdoor kitchen, all within an elevator ride of home.

Walkable Options at Ground Level

The rest of the portfolio makes it just as easy to get moving, with real walking and running routes close by. Optima Lakeview sits minutes from the lakefront path, where miles of paved trail run along Lake Michigan, and the building’s own rooftop sky deck adds a panoramic view that sweeps from the water to Wrigley Field, a nice way to take in the route before heading down to start it. On the North Shore, Optima Verdana is close to Gillson Park and the Green Bay Trail, a nine-mile route along the Metra line that gives residents a lakefront and trail combination right in the neighborhood. In Scottsdale, Optima Sonoran Village sits on over 6 acres of lushly landscaped courtyards with walking paths, and Old Town Scottsdale an easy walk beyond the property line whenever residents want to go further.

Built Into the Day

Whether the route is four laps around a rooftop, a stretch along the lake, or a walk through Old Town, the goal across our communities is the same: make movement something residents look forward to, not something they have to squeeze in. That shows up in small ways throughout each community, from where a track sits to how close a courtyard path runs to the front door, and it adds up to mornings that start a little easier at every Optima address.

Explore our communities and experience how each one’s walkability.

A workout does not end when the last rep is finished, and neither does a hard day at the office. The body needs some time to transition, a period when heart rate slows and muscles release tension, and this is where the recovery spaces at Optima communities are useful. Saunas, steam rooms, and cold plunges are part of the fitness experience, not separate from it.

Why Heat and Cold Work Together

Pairing heat and cold for recovery is a long-standing practice, and it holds up because of how the body responds. Heat increases circulation and helps loosen muscles that are tight after a run or a lifting session. A cold plunge works differently, tightening blood vessels and reducing inflammation, which is part of what causes soreness in the days after a hard workout. Alternating between the two, warm and then cold, is what people mean by a recovery circuit, and many residents build it into their week.

Recovery That Does Not Require Planning

What makes this practical is proximity. There is no need to book a session at an outside spa or set aside a separate block of time. The sauna, steam room, and hot and cold plunges are located in the same amenity space as the pool and fitness center, so a workout can be followed by recovery within the same visit, without leaving the building. That convenience changes how often people actually use these spaces.

More Than a Physical Reset

The benefit is not only physical. A sauna or steam room is also a space without much distraction. Some residents use the circuit after training, to help with soreness. Others use it after work, simply to unwind. Both are common reasons residents visit the same space.

A Routine Residents Shape for Themselves

There is no set way to use these amenities. Some residents keep it brief: sauna, hot plunge, cold plunge, finished in under half an hour. Others take more time, moving between steam, heat, and cold more than once. The spaces are designed to accommodate either approach, since the goal is simply to make recovery an easy part of the day rather than something that requires extra effort.

When the recovery spaces are an elevator ride away, it becomes part of the regular routine rather than something to schedule separately.

Explore our communities to see our recovery amenities for yourself.

The Time Problem

A full round of golf takes real time, often four hours including travel to and from a course. For residents who want golf as a regular part of their week without building a day around it, the indoor simulator offers a shorter path to the same activity. It is available at every community in the portfolio: Optima Signature, Optima Lakeview, Optima Verdana, Optima Sonoran Village, Optima Kierland, and Optima McDowell Mountain.

How the Simulators Work

The simulators use high speed cameras and swing sensors to track the ball at impact, reading clubhead speed, launch angle, and spin. That data is rendered on screen to show where the shot would land on an actual course. Residents can play a set course from a library of options, run a full eighteen holes, or spend twenty minutes on iron shots before dinner. The measurements and terrain data are accurate enough to support real practice rather than casual play.

Fitting Golf Into an Ordinary Day

The simulator makes it easier to fit golf around a normal schedule. A morning that opens up unexpectedly, or an hour after work, is enough time for a short session. Repeating the same shot under the same conditions also makes it easier to test a swing change, something that is harder to do on a course where conditions vary each time. At Optima Sonoran Village, Optima Kierland and Optima McDowell Mountain, the simulator is paired with an outdoor putting or chipping area, so residents can move between the two without leaving the building.

Consistency Across Seasons

Even through the Chicago winters at Optima Signature, Optima Lakeview, and Optima Verdana golf stays alive indoors. In Scottsdale, outdoor golf remains possible through the summer at Optima Sonoran Village, Optima Kierland, and Optima McDowell Mountain, though many residents prefer the indoor, air-conditioned option when temperatures climb. Either way, the simulator gives residents a consistent option regardless of what the season brings, which supports the kind of regular practice that keeps a swing sharp.

A Fit for Every Level

The simulator works equally well for residents who play often and those who play occasionally. It is a practical way to fit golf, or something close to it, into a schedule that does not always allow for a full round.

Explore Optima’s communities to find the one that’s right for you.